Come On In
by smoshen
Summary: Peter Tork has had it up to there with his "career" with The Monkees and is looking to get away from it all with grass and chicks, but when Natalie Marshall, an old friend of his comes to Laurel Canyon running from her own problems, things change. Sex, drugs, and rock n' roll take over as Natalie plunges into depression and Peter finds himself in love. AU, strong sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

Peter had just about had it. These other three guys complete with all of the managers and just everything else. This new tour that was being planned, "The Far East Tour" as it was so dubbed by the big men in charge, would be the death of him. After the complete bomb of a movie him and his (was it _really _his band though?) band, The Monkees, had made, Peter had toyed with the idea of quitting, but something inside him…some innocent stupidity left in him from his Greenwich Village days…was stopping him. As he walked back to his car from the rehearsal room in the studio, he rubbed the sore spots on his fingers where the thick bass strings cut into his fingertips. He much preferred guitar, but no, the dumb one just _had _to play the bass, didn't he?

"Damn it," he muttered as he got into his car. One month. One month before Peter Tork was to set off to Australia with three guys that he could hardly stand to be around anymore and play songs that he was sick of. Maybe his harem of girls would help ease the stress…that along with some grass. As he drove off, he rolled the window down and felt the breeze blow through his collar-length blond hair.

He got a good look at himself in the rearview mirror. His hair blew back from his face to show his big tawny colored eyes that were a little washed out and tired from all of the work. His beard was growing in a little bit; he wouldn't shave it. He didn't need to keep up any sort of teeny-bopper image anymore. The show was canceled anyway. The drive wasn't that long, and if it was, it didn't seem very long. Peter pulled into the driveway of his large, infamous home in Laurel Canyon and, with a lazy slouch, walked inside.

"Hey Pete," said a man sitting on the couch inside, lazily strumming a guitar.

"Hey Stephen," said Peter, slumping himself down next to him.

The other man, Stephen, looked over at Peter with an all-knowing look. "Long day?" he asked.

"Fuck man, you have no idea," said Peter. Stephen Stills, Peter's roommate (or something of the sort) was a younger man, twenty-three to Peter's twenty-six. They had been friends together in the Village years before, and they were always picked out as look-alikes. Stephen had light brown hair in a similar style to Peter's, except it was already thinning a bit at the top. The only significant differences between the two were Stephen's blue eyes and lack of facial hair.

"Maybe I should have thought twice before referring you to that gig, eh?" said Stephen, pulling something out of his pocket.

Peter laughed. "Nah, it was worth it for a while," he said. Stephen had auditioned for a role in The Monkees fad but didn't make the cut. He gave Peter to the producers, and then went off to play in The Buffalo Springfield with Neil Young, which Peter would have died to be a part of. But The Monkees was good for a while.

"Anything freaky going on here tonight?" asked Stephen, messing with whatever it was he took out of his pocket.

"Nothing tonight," said Peter. He hadn't been feeling right since Reine left him. The magic was gone; he knew that much. But the lack of a steady woman in his life left a hole in him bigger than all the wanton sex with lose women in the world could fill. Thus, his famous parties were getting to be few and far between.

"Man Peter, you need to chill out some," said Stephen as he put his guitar aside. He finally reviled what he had been messing with. He was grinning and holding a large joint.

"You read my mind, Steve," said Peter, picking up the lighter on the dresser next to the couch.

"To poor, single saps?" suggested Stephen as he held the joint out to Peter to light it.

"What are you talking about man, you're not single," said Peter with a smile, but feeling a pang inside at being called 'single'again.

Stephen laughed. "Oh, you mean Judy?" he asked. "Man, I dunno what's happening there man…"

"Do we ever?" asked Peter. Stephen laughed as he took a hit off the joint, and passed it to Peter. Suddenly, as Peter took in that sweet, sweet grass, work all day was worth it.

_Meanwhile: _

Natalie Marshall walked alone along a busy California road. She had flown all the way over from London and was suffering from some horrible jetlag. People stopped and looked at her as if to wonder, _what is a little nineteen-year-old girl doing all alone right outside of Laurel Canyon? _Of course she couldn't blame them—she did look rather lost, but she knew exactly where she was going.

She needed someone to help her, desperately. She looked lost because in truth, she was. No one would be okay after a brutal breakup and a family on the cusp of breaking apart. Back in London, she rarely went a day without a drink or a smoke; there were tears shed every day and as those days passed she knew she was getting one step closer to a breakdown. Of course, she knew of only one person who could help her.

Natalie first met Peter Tork when he had gone to Monterey Pop the year before. Natalie had just turned eighteen and had gone over to California from London for the first time ever. She was lost of course, and she didn't realize what she was doing when she ran headlong into Peter while fighting through a crowd. She was starstruck at first, being a Monkees fan, but soon gathered herself once she realized he was a normal person, just like everyone else. She was impressed with the smart, intelligent person she saw in him; so much different than the dummy he played on TV.

They had telegrammed back and forth and had met again at the start of the next month when The Monkees played a few shows in London, when she had returned. Naturally, Natalie was scared that meeting Peter in person again would disappoint her, but when she made it backstage, he greeted her like an old friend he had known for years. That was the last time she had seen him in person, but they still wrote every day. She felt he knew her like no one else did, and that's why Natalie knew that Peter was the only one who could help her through her rough patch. She looked up at the sky and noticed the sun was going down. She had to hurry up and find Peter's place before it got totally dark.

_At the house:_

A while had passed, and Peter's high was starting to come down. Stephen still looked a little in the clouds, but not completely lost to reality.

"Peter, you know what you need?" asked Stephen.

"I dunno Stephen…a beer and a toke?" asked Peter, rolling his eyes a bit.

"No man!" said Stephen. "Just…just fuck a chick dude. Just go out and fuck one."

"How in the hell am I supposed to do that?" asked Peter.

"Oh, Pete, come _on!_" said Stephen, leaning forward. "You've screwed more girls than me and Neil Young put together! What do you mean, what are you supposed to do? Just seduce the first one ya see, it'll be easy for you."

"No man," said Peter, grinning in embarrassment. Yep, he'd been with a whole lot of girls. "I mean, when they come here, it's groovy, but picking them up; doing the first one I see…man."

"Dude, you're Peter-fucking-Tork," said Stephen. "A Monkee! The chicks dig you man, just shave the beard, show her your dimples, and _fuck _her senseless!"

"I'll see what I can do," said Peter, laughing at Stephen's ideas. Yeah, maybe he'd go out and do it, but he'd have to gather himself up first. He knew the upcoming tour would probably get him laid a good number of times anyway.

"The next girl you see man…" said Stephen dreamily, no doubt imagining himself doing something as well. Right then, there was a knock on the door. "Oh man!" said Stephen excitedly. "That better be a chick!"

"Drink some coffee man, you're still up there," said Peter, getting up off the couch to answer the door. Normally, Peter wasn't the type to tell people to come down from a high, but if someone became obnoxious, like Stephen was being, he had to draw a line. When Peter opened the door though, he was a little surprised to say the least.

Standing outside was a young girl of nineteen with long, softly curled dark brown hair and bangs that brushed the top of big blue eyes. She had a face with alabaster skin, lightly brushed with pale freckles. Her smile was trying to convey happiness, but it looked forced and painful. She stood there, shifting her weight from foot to foot, waiting for God-knows-what.

"Natalie!" Peter greeted, opening his arms.

"Hello Peter," said Natalie, a little less exuberantly, but still trying to smile. She came forward into Peter's arms and they hugged, with Stephen looking on, very amused.

"Oh man, Pete, you have her!" he said. "A British chick too!"

"Knock it off Stephen, this is my friend, Natalie Marshall," said Peter. "Come on in Nat, you look exhausted."

"Thank you Peter," said Natalie, following Peter inside.

"Sorry about Stephen," said Peter. "He's a little stoned."

"It's quite all right," said Natalie, sitting on the couch next to Stephen. "It's better than all the shit that's been going on at home, that's for bloody sure."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming to the states?" asked Peter, sitting beside Natalie. "I would have had the place a little more together…"

"It was an off the cuff idea," said Natalie. "It's…a whole lot of stuff."

"Were you looking to talk about it?" asked Peter.

"If it would be okay with you," said Natalie.

"It's fine," said Peter. He turned to Stephen. "Steve, could you please leave the room?"

"Whatever you say man," said Stephen, taking the comment the wrong way, of course. He winked as he left the room.

"So sorry about him," said Peter. "He's really a cool guy…he's just out of it."

"It's fine, don't worry," said Natalie. "That's Stephen Stills from The Buffalo Springfield, isn't he?"

"The same," said Peter, rolling his eyes. "So…what's been going on, Natalie?" He looked very concerned, just as Natalie knew he'd be.

"You remember my boyfriend, Freddie?" started Natalie.

"Yeah, he was always a nice guy," said Peter. "What's wrong with him?"

"Oh my, this is hard to say…" said Natalie, her heart churning in her chest and her insides dropping. A tear started to fall down her face before she totally broke down. "Oh Peter, he's dumped me!" She flung herself into the older man's arms and sobbed.

Peter was in shock; he really didn't know what to say. Not that he didn't know how to deal with the situation, but from the condition Natalie was in, that just couldn't be it. Holding her, he felt that she had lost weight since the last time he saw her. Did that have anything to do with whatever else had happened? She felt so weak and fragile.

"Oh no!" he finally got up the nerve to say. "Natalie, I'm so sorry, what happened? I always thought he was such a good guy."

"I thought he was too," said Natalie, getting a hold of herself. "But I dunno…yesterday morning, he just called me to the living room, said he couldn't do it anymore, and left! He was already packed…" She bowed her head down. Peter could tell her heart was broken. He followed the lines of her tears with his eyes and saw that she had bags under her own.

"Did he give you a reason?" asked Peter, growing more and more worried for Natalie.

"Nope," said Natalie. "I swear, we've been together for over a year…and this is what I get…he just said, 'I can't do this anymore'…"

"Well, either he'll come around, or he just doesn't deserve someone as good as you," said Peter. "Nat, is there something else?"

"It's…it's my family, Peter," said Natalie, starting to cry again. "My parents are starting to file for divorce, and my brother's gone off to Manchester to get married. I know I've lived on my own for two years already, but…to have your family falling apart at the seams, after all you've been through with them, on top of being dumped after a year…it was too much, I had to get away from it all!"

"I understand," said Peter. "And you're welcome to stay here, if that's what you're after."

"You catch on, Peter," said Natalie. "Thank you."

"Not a problem," said Peter. "Anything you need, I'll help you."

"I'll try not to be a burden," said Natalie, sniffing and wiping a tear. She had that painful smile on her face again, trying to hide behind a mask of hurt. It stung Peter to the core; he couldn't stand to see this sweet, kind girl like that. Natalie reached out to touch his face, making Peter jump. "I like the beard," she said softly. "It makes you look grown-up."

"But I am grown up, aren't I?" asked Peter, smiling.

"Well…I guess so," said Natalie. "How've you been, Pete?"

Peter shrugged. "Sick of it," he said simply. "Except I can't get away from it…contracts and such."

"Ah," said Natalie, nodding.

"We've got a tour in Australia and Japan next month," said Peter.

"Oh…" said Natalie, looking very disappointed. "For how long?"

"Till October," said Peter. "If I could bring you with me I would, you know that Natalie."

"I'm not so sure I'd want to," said Natalie. "Too much in the fast lane, you know what I mean? Especially for now."

"I understand," said Peter. He wished he could stay where he was too, but no…he got roped into this silly thing. "Do you want anything? I feel so stupid…you've been in here a while and I never offered you anything!"

Natalie laughed, a sad, mournful sound. "Nah, I'm good, thank you," she said. "I'll let you know if I think of anything."

"Please do," said Peter. Behind them, a door creaked open.

"Hey, Peter!" hissed Stephen, peeking out of the door that was cracked open. "Get in here man, I need to talk to you."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Can it wait man?" he asked.

"No, come on, this is important!" said Stephen urgently.

"Go on," said Natalie. "I can deal on my own for a few minutes."

"Okay," sighed Peter. He really didn't want to leave her, but he knew Stephen wouldn't stop bugging him until he gave in. Peter got up off the couch and went over to where Stephen was still peeking. He wondered when Stephen would ever come down from his ridiculous high. Once he was in the room, Stephen slammed the door shut. "What the hell do you want, man?" asked Peter, frustrated.

"I think it's obvious that you're not gonna do that chick," said Stephen, as serious as possible, crossing his arms.

"Wha? Of course not!" said Peter. "She just got dumped and her family's having problems! It wouldn't be right, Steve."

"I thought so," said Stephen. "Go out. Now. Just any club and get. Fucking. Laid."

"Stephen, I don't know why you're so fixated on this!" said Peter.

"And for God's sake, fucking shave that mess on your face before you go!" said Stephen, not acknowledging Peter's gripe. "You need to look like Peter Tork before you go for it man, seriously."

"Stephen, you sound like my mom and a pimp," said Peter.

"Well man, what do you expect me to be?" asked Stephen.

"I can't go man, there's no way in hell I'm leaving you along with Natalie," said Peter.

"Then I'll come with you!" said Stephen. "I could go for some myself."

"I'm not leaving her alone either!" said Peter.

"Come on Pete, you need this, I'm telling you!" said Stephen, begging now. "I'll stay here, and I promise I won't lay a finger on Nancy!"

"Natalie," said Peter. He sighed…he couldn't believe he was saying this. "And okay, whatever, you win, I'll go out, I'll get myself laid. Just don't do anything stupid here; you're a dumbass when you're stoned, you know."

Stephen giggled. "Yeah," he said. "Shave it off."

"Whatever you say," said Peter, shaking his head. He really didn't want to shave the beard, but he knew Stephen would physically prevent him from leaving the house if he wasn't clean-shaven.

"What's wrong?" asked Natalie when Peter came out of the room.

"I'm being forced to go out," said Peter. He didn't want to tell her what Stephen was trying to get him to do…he didn't know why, but he felt like it would hurt her. Maybe because she just suffered a breakup. He went straight to the bathroom and reluctantly shaved his beard. His face felt naked and cold, but maybe Stephen was right…maybe he did look a bit dirty with it. Not that any of them should care. When he walked back to the living room where Natalie was sitting, he saw the look of confused shock on her face.

"What after I said I liked it?" she asked, not offended, but feigning (or, at least, Peter hoped she was).

"Mother's orders," said Peter, looking to Stephen, who was now peeking out of the door again with a maniacal grin. "Stephen's staying; I told him not to fuck up, but if he does something stupid, just smack him upside the head. It usually helps."

"But Peter, I thought you were a pacifist!" said Natalie, amused.

"Not with me, he ain't," said Stephen. Natalie laughed; oh man…every time she laughed, Peter could hear the pain. It was strange, really. She was trying so hard. "Well Peter, have a glorious time out!"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up man," said Peter, shaking his head.

"Goodbye, Peter," said Natalie. "And…thank you. Thank you so much."

Peter turned back around to face Natalie. She stood up and hugged him tight. He felt her trembling again, like she was trying not to cry; he was so afraid he'd break her in two, she had lost so much weight. For a split second, he thought of not leaving, just to be there for his friend, but he decided against it. A couple hours for himself wouldn't be too bad for Natalie. Besides, Stephen wasn't all that bad when he was sober.

"No problem," Peter said tenderly. He looked into Natalie's eyes before he reluctantly walked out the door.

"Well then," said Stephen once Peter was out, looking at Natalie. "What do you propose we do?"

"Sleep," said Natalie, going into another room, feeling down. If there was one thing she wanted nothing of, it was another silly little man child.

Of course, Stephen Stills wasn't a silly little man child. He was just a little stoned and just sat, rejected completely, on the couch where Natalie just got up from, wondering what the hell he and Peter Tork had gotten themselves into.


	2. Chapter 2

Of course, Peter knew that he didn't actually have to go out and get laid just because Stephen told him to. In fact, he didn't even have to leave the neighborhood; he could just walk around all evening and clear his head out. The wind blew and hit his newly-shaven face, making his skin sting. He flinched and sighed in frustration. He hoped to God or whatever higher power that Stephen wasn't in there making himself an ass with Natalie. That poor girl…maybe it wasn't smart to leave her like that. She'd be okay though. A little time alone, provided Stephen wasn't trying to chat her up, would do her good. Perhaps Peter would show her around the neighborhood tomorrow, if she was up for it.

In trying to do just the opposite of what Stephen was telling him to do, Peter inevitably got bored. Dammit…now he had to find something to do! But what? He walked down the street and eyed up all of the houses to see if anything was going on inside any of them. He ultimately got to one of them that had lights on and music playing—Mama Cass Elliot's house. Oh yeah, there was always something going down over there.

As always, the door was unlocked, so he just stepped right in. Colorful lights and psychedelic music hit him in the face, as well as the smell of pot. He recognized a lot of people that were scattered about the crowded, dark-lit living room. There was David Crosby, Michelle and John Phillips, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, who must have just been visiting, and a whole lot of other people that either Peter did not recognize or were just random flower child girls running about the place like they always did. "Peter, hey there!" called a woman who was walking over to him.

"Hey Cass," Peter greeted the rubenesque and glamorous singer. "Mind if I drop by?"

"I never mind," said Cass, who was now next to him. Everything about her was big, from her height, body, eyelashes, pouty lips, personality, and her voluminous brown hair. "Are you here alone?"

"Yeah, Stephen's being a jackass," said Peter. "Actually…he's the one who tried to get me out of the house in the first place."

"I see," said Cass. "Say Pete, you haven't had one of your crazy parties in a while."

"I know," said Peter. "I just needed some time to chill out…I'll probably have them back up and running once I stop having to worry about the tour."

"Well, keep me posted, I miss those things," said Cass. "Anything else new?"

"Oh boy, is there," said Peter. "An old friend of mine is staying with me and Stephen for a while."

"That's groovy!" said Cass. "Are we gonna get to meet him?"

"Well—her—and yeah, why not?" said Peter.

"Nice," said Cass. "Well Peter, mingle, why don't you? You deserve a bit of fun."

"I do, don't I?" said Peter. He nodded to Cass and walked off to do whatever it was that he could do. He mingled, talked a little, and had some grass. The music pumped through him with every drag of the joint he took and he felt at peace. But as fate would have it, he was in the middle of a conversation with John Sebastian when one of the young hippie girls caught his eye.

She was small and delicate with long blond hair and big green eyes. She was the type of girl who looked as innocent as could be, but one look into her eyes told you everything you needed to know about her. He caught her eye as well and welcomed his gaze with a wry smile and a beckon with one long, thin finger.

"Excuse me," said Peter to John before getting up and walking to the girl.

"Going my way, Tork?" asked the girl in a suggestive voice.

"So, you've heard of me?" asked Peter, stoned, but not in the oh-so-stupid way he would have on the show. Nope, he knew _exactly _what he was doing here.

"In a matter of speaking," said the girl. "I've heard _many _things about you."

"Care to find out the truth?" asked Peter. The girl just smiled, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and gently led him to one of the many bedrooms in Cass's house. Oh, wouldn't Stephen be proud? Once they were inside, the girl slammed the door shut and launched herself at Peter, kissing him on the mouth and around his neck. Peter tried to keep up with her; her energy was wild.

"You wanna make it, baby?" the girl whispered as Peter kissed her neck. What a silly question. Peter didn't even have to say anything; he picked her up, lowered her onto the bed, and climbed on top of her, making sure to touch every inch of her as he did. They both feverishly stripped each other down naked and Peter grew harder and harder with each article of clothing falling to the floor.

Peter ran his hands along the girl's bare chest. Her breasts were small and had little nipples, as pink as her pouty lips. He went down and took one into his mouth, darting his tongue across her erect nipple. She moaned with content and his already hard cock swelled with delight. While still pleasuring one of her breasts with his mouth, Peter brought his hand to the other one, stroking and teasing until the girl pushed him away and slid his pants down his ankles and off his body completely.

Her eyes widened in delight at the size of his throbbing, erect member. She raised herself to her knees, stroked his chest, ran her fingers through the patch of hair there, and lowered her hand to stroke the length of Peter's cock. He gasped in pleasure at the feeling of her soft hand on the most sensitive part of his body. He immediately darted his hand in between the girl's legs to feel the moist hair and folds. He inserted one finger inside her and he felt her erupt in a spasm. It made her stroke him even harder. He put another finger into her slick, warm womanhood and furiously pumped and thrust, making her squeal in delight. He had had enough—he needed her now—he made her take his hands off her, pushed her down, and pinned her down.

Peter didn't even look her in the eye—with one powerful thrust, he pushed himself inside her. The girl clutched at him and cried out and with every thrust, the two gasped and moaned. She got wetter by the second and Peter felt more and more aroused. He felt the girl's nails dig into his back, but the pain didn't deter him; if anything, it turned him on more. He stopped, flipped her around, and took her from behind. He was going to cum soon—he could feel it. He reached around to play with her clit as he pumped his cock into her. Her moans and screams just got him closer. The girl came first, arching her back and throwing her head back, smacking Peter in the face with her long, blonde hair. Oh, did he love that. As her pussy contracted around him in orgasm, Peter found himself at his orgasm as well. His head spun in pleasure and he moaned out, "Oh God!" as his cum came out and filled the girl.

He pulled out of her and saw her sexy, wry grin. Peter wiped the sweat out of his eyes and collapsed down on the bed, exhausted.

"What do you say we rest for a bit and go for round two?" asked the girl in a breathy just-after voice.

"I'd like that," said Peter. Yeah…damn you Stephen Stills, he thought. You got what you wanted after all.

_The next morning, at Peter's house: _

Natalie didn't know what time it was; she just knew it was time to get up. She didn't remember hearing Peter coming back last night, so maybe he just came back really late and was still asleep. She hoped so. She felt very weird with only Stephen Stills in the house. She didn't care how much she liked The Buffalo Springfield, he really creeped her out a little yesterday. Her stomach rumbled a little—she figured Peter wouldn't mind if she went out and got something to eat.

She walked out to the kitchen, but found that she had no clue where any of the food was, and that the drawers were too high up for her to reach. Sighing with exasperation, she leaned on the counter. It seemed like such a silly little thing to get upset over, but on top of everything else, it was rational to feel that way. She shut her eyes and felt warm tears sting her eyes. Suddenly, she heard a sound of someone walking into the kitchen. Peter? Natalie quickly opened her eyes and wiped her tears away. However, she was disappointed when she saw Stephen walking in instead of Peter.

"Oh…hi," said Natalie.

"Hey…uh…Nancy?" said Stephen.

"It's Natalie," said Natalie.

"Ah, sorry, Natalie," said Stephen. "Look…I gotta say sorry about yesterday, I was being stupid."

"It's fine," said Natalie.

"So…what are you doing out here?" asked Stephen.

"I was looking for something to eat," I said. "I just can't find anything."

"Lemme help," said Stephen. He wondered why that girl was so down…Peter had mentioned her issues in short last night, but he wished he knew more. Unfortunately, he didn't think he had enough of her trust to ask her why. Without so much as standing on tiptoe, he reached up to one of the drawers and took out a bag of dry oatmeal. "This is about all we have for the moment."

"That's fine," Natalie said. "There's milk, right?"

"Yeah," said Stephen. "I was just about to eat too, I can make you some too, if you like."

"Sure, thanks," said Natalie. Why was she so quiet?

"So…" said Stephen as he got a pot onto the burner to start boiling the milk for the oatmeal. "What's London like?"

"Swinging," said Natalie. What was this guy's deal? All she wanted was to eat and go back to wait for Peter.

"Ah…" said Stephen, mixing the oatmeal into the milk. "That's cool…I guess."

The silence that followed was uncomfortable. Natalie wanted to say something, but she had a feeling if she did, Stephen wouldn't shut up. But with the only sound in the room being Stephen's stirring, she had to speak up. "So…how long have you known Peter?" Natalie asked.

Stephen smiled, genuinely pleased that Natalie decided to open up a bit. "A really long time," he said. "We lived together in Greenwich Village, years ago. We were both part of the folk music scene there."

"Wow…that's pretty cool," said Natalie, surprised that Peter and Stephen had known each other for so long.

"Yeah, it was," said Stephen. "I also sort of helped Peter get his part in The Monkees too." He said that with a great sense of pride.

"Really?" asked Natalie, her interest growing. "How did you do that?"

"Natalie…that's it, is it? Yeah…would you believe me if I told you that I was almost a Monkee?" asked Stephen, serving the oatmeal out into two bowls.

"I'd be skeptical," said Natalie.

"Well…technically it wasn't almost," said Stephen, shrugging. "I auditioned, but they didn't like my teeth…so they asked if I knew a 'better-looking me' and I gave 'em Peter Tork!"

"You know," said Natalie. "Now that you mention it, you do look a lot like him."

"Yeah, I'm the ugly little brother," said Stephen.

"No, you're not ugly," said Natalie. "Just not as…I dunno, smoothed out, I guess. I really wouldn't know how to put it."

Stephen laughed. "Thanks," he said.

"Yes," said Natalie. "Like a blue-eyed Peter…I'd say it's rather uncanny."

"Yeah, we were 'the kids who looked alike' back in the Village," said Stephen. The more Natalie looked at Stephen, the more she could see it. Hell, if the two weren't famous she could have taken them for brothers! Of course, they had their differences. Getting a good look at Stephen, Natalie had to admit he was rather handsome.

"So, now it's your turn," said Stephen. "How long have _you _known Peter?"

"Not nearly as long as you have," said Natalie. "I met him last June at Monterey Pop."

"Hey, I was there, why didn't I see you?" asked Stephen.

"Well, I saw you perform," said Natalie. "I loved that intro Peter gave your band, it was very sweet of him."

"Yeah, it was a good intro," said Stephen. He picked up the bowls. "Wanna sit down?"

"Sure," said Natalie. She felt a little unfair for judging Stephen so quickly yesterday. It usually wasn't her, but she hadn't been herself lately anyway. Natalie and Stephen sat down at the kitchen table with the bowls of oatmeal.

"So, what's up with Peter, huh?" asked Stephen.

"What do you mean?" asked Natalie.

"You know…you have the hots for him?" asked Stephen.

"What?" said Natalie, jumping a little. "Oh, no! No way!"

"Why not?" asked Stephen. "He's a cool guy."

"I—I just don't, okay?" said Natalie, her heart remembering one of the many reasons she left London. Oh Freddie…what she would do to have him again. She wasn't quite ready to expose herself completely to Stephen yet; she was liking him a little more, but it would take more time for her to trust him.

"It's cool, it's cool," said Stephen, sensing some sort of discomfort. He didn't want to pry; though maybe he could get something out of Peter later. "So…who do you have the hots for?"

"I think that's none of your business," said Natalie flatly, trying to keep her emotions in check. "Though I suppose your constant prying on the matter suggests that you 'have the hots' for me yourself."

"Oh, no!" said Stephen, jumping and laughing nervously in a similar way that Natalie did before. "Besides, I've already got someone."

"Oh?" I asked, mildly surprised for some reason. "And who?"

"A little lady named Judy Collins," said Stephen. Natalie sensed a little…was it resentment?...in Stephen's otherwise proud declaration, but she was also quite shocked.

"Judy Collins?" she said, her eyes going wide and a grin on her face. "Why, I'm a huge fan of her, I have all of her records! I had no clue that you two were together! Oh, this is marvelous! Doesn't she have the most _striking _eyes? What a beauty. And her _voice, _it's as nothing I've ever heard before! What a wonder!"

Stephen laughed. "Well, I guess I'll have to be careful bringing you around her, you may take her from me," he said. Well…it wouldn't be the worst thing…yes, Stephen loved Judy, but he couldn't help but think that something was missing with her in the past few weeks. It may be just a phase though, best not to end things too fast…but it still felt empty. He also didn't want to bum Natalie out, as she was very excited about Stephen and Judy for whatever reason. He was glad to see her face light up for once; two days of looking down in the dumps was enough.

"No, I promise I won't," said Natalie. "She must mean the world to you."

"Yeah, she does," said Stephen, his heart sinking a little. Of course she did, she always would.

"Stephen, are you okay?" Natalie asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," said Stephen, looking up at her. Natalie's eyes were blue, just like Judy's. Natalie really was pretty, with her light dusting of freckles on her face and her bangs falling in her eyes in an almost flirty way. He wouldn't be surprised if all the guys in the neighborhood would be after her at one time or another. He only hoped she'd be okay after whatever it was that drove her out of London. Clashing with her beauty were slight bags under her eyes and stress and exhaustion written all over her face. "How's the oatmeal?" he asked.

"It's good, thank you," said Natalie, breaking the eye contact to eat a spoonful. Stephen smiled and nodded his head. Things in Laurel Canyon were about to get much more complicated.

_Back at Cass's house_:

Peter woke up sometime the next day next to the blonde girl and smirked. What a night that had been. He thought of waking her up for one more round before going back home, but when he sat up in bed his head started to ache and spin. Maybe next time. He stroked her yellow hair and left the room without waking her up. He wondered if Stephen and Natalie had made a mess of the place yet…well, there was only one way to find out, he thought as he made his way back to the house.


	3. Chapter 3

Peter came up to the door of his house, still a little disoriented. He had almost left Cass's house without his clothes, which wasn't the hugest problem in the world since he spent most of his time around the house naked, but he didn't want to freak Natalie out by entering the house in the nude. Before he opened the door, he silently prepared himself for whatever would be going on behind it. Peter took a deep breath and opened it to hear the sound of loud cheering and laughing. Jumping in surprise, he was shocked to see Natalie and Stephen sitting on the couch with a game of Yahtzee.

"Yes, full house!" Natalie cheered. "Stephen, I can't believe you had this game in the house all this time and you never learned to play it! It's so much fun!"

"Yeah, that's easy to say when you're winning," said Stephen, rolling his eyes and taking up the dice. "Oh, hey Peter!"

"Hey," said Peter groggily. "Look at that, you didn't destroy the place."

"Of course not silly," said Natalie as Stephen rolled the dice. "We just dug around in the basement looking for something to do, and we found Yahtzee! I still can't believe you guys never played it."

_"Yahtzee!" _Stephen exclaimed, making Natalie and Peter jump. "Yes! In your _face _Natalie, I'm kicking your ass!"

"Not yet, you're not," said Natalie. "Just because you got a 'Yahtzee' doesn't mean you win!"

"Isn't that what the game's called?" asked Peter.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean a thing," said Natalie. "By the way, how was your night? You look like you've had an awfully good time."

"It was okay," said Peter, not really wanting to discuss it while Stephen was all riled up.

"Oh, come on Peter, don't be silly," chided Natalie. Oh well, Peter thought. At least she was in a good mood. "Your eyes are red, you smell like a Grateful Dead concert, and, between you and me—well, Stephen too—you still look to have a _raging _semi!"

Peter jumped and looked down. He hadn't noticed it before with how tired he was, but, sure enough, there was a slightly-bigger-than-usual bulge in the crotch of his pants from the lack of release from that morning. He knew he should have woken the girl up…of course, he was wondering how Natalie noticed it and _why _she had been looking there in the first place…

Stephen and Natalie laughed as Peter turned red and did a weird crossed-legged crab walk into the kitchen. "Pete, come on man, it's not _that _bad!" said Stephen through his giggles.

"Why the hell are you looking?" Peter called, embarrassed, from the kitchen.

"Well, once it's called to attention, it's sort of noticeable!" said Stephen. "I dunno Natalie, maybe his night was better than this morning." Natalie giggled and Peter turned even redder. He should be more embarrassed by Stephen poking fun at him, not Natalie! Maybe he was just too comfortable with Stephen.

"Well Natalie, when all of this excitement dies down," said Peter, bracing himself for a stupid reply from Stephen. "I thought that I'd maybe show you around the neighborhood; have you get to know everyone, or at least some people."

"Wow Peter, I'd like that very much," said Natalie. "Stephen's been telling me who lives around here!"

"Yeah, there are some pretty groovy people," said Peter, coming out of the kitchen, all—uh—relaxed. "I'm gonna get a coffee and we can go, if you're up to it."

"Wait," said Stephen. "If you were just in the kitchen and you didn't have a coffee…then what were you doing in there?" He smiled and his eyes glittered wryly.

"Not what you think, pervert," said Peter. "I'll be back." He walked back into the kitchen, ignoring Stephen's and Natalie's giggles again. Peter made his coffee black; he figured the stronger the better, with the night he had. His head was pounding, but he'd bring Natalie out anyway. She seemed perfectly happy at the moment with some human interaction, so her meeting more people would only make her happier, right? When his cup was filled, he made his way out to the living room where Natalie and Stephen were wrapping up their game.

"I still don't understand how you can get a Yahtzee and still lose the fucking game," said Stephen, perplexed.

"Maybe you'll win next time," said Natalie. She looked up at Peter with her glittering blue eyes, eager. "Are we going soon, Peter?"

"Yeah," said Peter, taking a sip. He flinched with the heat of the coffee and pulled a face as it burnt his tongue.

"Aww, was it too hot?" Stephen cooed, as if a mother talking to her baby. Natalie smiled; it seemed like her happy high was going down. Women were such roller coasters…

"Ya wanna find out? I'll spill it on you," joked Peter. "Come on Natalie, let's go. You coming, Stephen?"

"Nah, I'll stay, I'll let you and Natalie catch up with each other," said Stephen. "I also gotta find some kind of way to beat that damn game too. Have fun guys."

"Don't hurt yourself Stephen," said Natalie, standing up to go next to Peter. "I really am looking forward to seeing everybody."

"Okay Natalie, let's go," said Peter. "You sure you want to stay, Stephen?"

"Yeah Pete, I'll be fine," said Stephen. "See you two later."

"Bye, Steve," said Peter as he and Natalie walked out the door. Natalie gave a soft smile to Stephen, who returned it, but not without feeling a weird leaping in his chest. He covered up the odd movement that came along with the lurching with a stupid-sounding laugh, to which Peter frowned at and Natalie's smile disappeared into a look of confusion.

"Heartburn," Stephen said quickly, knowing just how dumb it sounded as it came out of his mouth.

"Drink a soda," said Peter, obviously not believing whatever that was. Stephen nodded and Natalie continued to stare, seeming to be a completely different person than she had been a few minutes ago. She gave one last quick smile as she and Peter finally stepped outside and closed the door behind them.

"That was rather odd," said Natalie as she and Peter walked down the street. "I swear, he was just fine a moment ago…Stephen's a strange man, isn't he?"

"He can be," said Peter. "But trust me when I say there are stranger." He made a turn and Natalie followed. "Not in a bad way though, they're all good people." He made his way down to Cass's house again; there were probably still plenty of people there, and chances were the party was dying down by now, so Natalie wouldn't get a glimpse of all the freaks.

"And what good people are these?" asked Natalie.

"A good friend of mine, and probably some more," said Peter, opening the door to Cass's house again.

"The door's unlocked?" asked Natalie, looking perplexed.

"Of course," said Peter. "We're all friends here." He walked inside and urged a nervous and anxious Natalie to do the same. "Cass! I'm back! With company!" Peter called.

"Cass?" Natalie muttered under her breath, thinking…oh, it couldn't be. But, of course, if Peter Tork of The Monkees and Stephen Stills of The Buffalo Springfield lived here, then Mama Cass of The Mamas and the Papas wasn't a huge stretch. Sure enough, just as soon as Peter called, who else but Big Mama herself came into the main room.

"Peter, so nice to see you!" she said with open arms. "Long time no see, am I right?" She beamed, obviously joking, since this was where Peter was just a few hours earlier. Her eyes fell on Natalie. "And who's this?"

"Cass, this is my friend Natalie," said Peter. "She's staying here for a while. Natalie, this is—well—from the look on your face I don't think I need to tell you who!"

"Oh yes, I remember you saying something about her," said Cass. "Hey there Natalie! Come on, have a seat, can I get you anything?"

"Oh, no, not for me, thanks," said Natalie, dazed and going to the couch. Peter sat down beside her.

"All right then," said Cass. "Peter? Anything for you?"

"Coffee, please," said Peter.

"_Another _one?" asked Natalie. Peter shrugged as Cass chuckled and went to the kitchen to get a cup for him.

"I need it," said Peter.

"So…Mama Cass, eh?" asked Natalie as the two of them were left alone.

"Yep," said Peter. "She's sort of the Queen on the Canyon. She knows everybody, and everybody knows her. Also, her parties are legendary."

"I've heard a thing or two about yours," said Natalie, cocking an eyebrow.

"I haven't had any in a while," said Peter.

"Why not?" asked Natalie.

"Just a bunch of stuff, we'll talk about it later," said Peter as Cass came back with his cup of coffee. "Thanks, Cass," he said as he took the cup.

"So Natalie, what brings you to the Canyon?" asked Cass, taking her own seat.

"Um…" said Natalie, not exactly sure what to say. She didn't want to go into all of her reasons; breaking down and emptying everything in front of Peter was okay, but she just didn't know Cass well enough to do the same for her. "Just looking for a change of scenery," Natalie said instead. "And Peter and I had been in contact, so I thought this would be the place to be, ya know?" Peter glanced quickly over at her, knowing what a load of crap she had just said, but not saying a word. Natalie smiled back in appreciation.

"Well, you're right," said Cass. "This is the place to be. Have you met anyone else yet?"

"Peter lives with Stephen Stills," said Natalie. "So I've met him. He's about it so far though."

Cass laughed. "He's a good kid," she said. "All he does is music…when he's not chilling and jamming with Peter here, he's always off singing with David!"

"David Crosby, from The Byrds," said Peter to Natalie.

"Oh!" exclaimed Natalie. "My, Stephen is an interesting character! He's living with Peter, dating Judy Collins, and now you tell me he sings with David Crosby? What a man."

"Sounds like you must really like him," said Cass, grinning.

"Oh, my, yes!" said Natalie, not catching Cass's insinuation. Peter, instead of grinning along with Cass, felt a surge of jealousy go through him. But why? Stephen was likeable, and he knew that Natalie liked him, or else she wouldn't have come to stay with him. Maybe it was because he was used to being the friend.

"That's good, you'll probably be seeing a lot of him," said Cass. "So Natalie, what do you do?"

"What do you mean?" asked Natalie.

"I mean what do you do, what's your bag?" asked Cass.

"Oh, well…I have a hand at singing, I guess," said Natalie. "And guitar…I guess you can say I do a bit of folk singing."

"Oh!" said Cass. "Then you'll fit right in here! Peter, have you ever heard her sing?"

"Yes, I have," said Peter, remembering the second time they had met, backstage after a Monkees concert. Despite Mike's bitching and moaning about it (he and Natalie didn't get along quite well), Natalie took Mike's guitar and sang "Suzanne" by Leonard Cohen. It was the most beautiful sound Peter had ever heard, but Natalie was modest. "She sounds wonderful," Peter said with a genuine smile.

"Oh, Peter, you're such a flatterer," said Natalie with a swat of her hand.

"Honey, if Peter says you're good, then you're good," said Cass. "This man doesn't bullshit!" At that moment, one of the doors in the house opened and the blonde girl that Peter had been with last night came walking out into the living room. She didn't stop; she just walked out and gave Peter an immensely flirty and sexy stare as she flounced out of the house. Cass chuckled. "Heard that you had fun with _her _last night, eh Pete?"

"To be honest, I don't remember a thing," said Peter, who really was finding last night fuzzy.

"I guess that's the best kind of time," said Natalie. "Peter, do you think I'd be able to walk around alone for a while? I do need to get some fresh air."

"Go right ahead," said Peter, wondering if it was because of the blonde girl. Of course, Natalie knew that it wasn't because of her; she really did need to explore for a while. She found it strange how she went so quickly from needing human interaction to alone time. She hoped her roller coaster would end soon, but little did she know it hadn't even begun yet.

"I'll be back," said Natalie. "I'll either come back here, or back to your place; whichever I feel like."

"Okay Nat, see you later," said Peter, happy that she was interested in the neighborhood, but wishing she would stay. Natalie smiled like she had at Stephen and walked out the door.

Cass leaned over to Peter once Natalie had left. "You have some feelings for that girl, don't you?" she asked.

Peter laughed softly. "She's a friend," said Peter. "I just hope she feels better…she is pretty though."

"Are you still hung up on Reine then?" asked Cass.

"I dunno," said Peter. "I just think I'm hung up on myself."

"Meaning?" asked Cass, waving her hand along.

"The band," said Peter. "It's killing me, Cass. I don't know what I'm gonna do after this tour…they want us to do a fucking TV special…it hurts to say this man, but I think I'm done with The Monkees."

"I don't blame you," said Cass. Peter smiled and Cass hugged him. But really…leave it to Natalie to come to Peter with her problems at the same time Peter was dealing with his own. Maybe they could lean each other in their hours of need.

Outside, Natalie wandered the street. She saw all the houses lined up nicely, but didn't see anyone standing outside; or at least anyone she knew. Not deterred, she kept going until she saw a young woman with an acoustic guitar sitting on the front porch of her house. At first Natalie wondered if she shouldn't bother the woman, but she started to walk up anyway. Peter had said that everyone in Laurel Canyon was friendly, so why not take a chance? The woman had long, straight blonde hair with bangs over her blue-grey eyes and a long face with high cheekbones that could almost be described as elfin. She was strumming her guitar with her long, graceful fingers and sang in a beautifully unique voice. As she saw Natalie approaching, she looked up from her guitar and smiled widely. "How do you do?" she asked.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted you," said Natalie frantically. "I'm just new here and thought I'd get to know the neighborhood."

"Oh, so you're the new girl," said the woman, putting her guitar aside and standing up. "People have been talking about you; you're staying with Peter, right?"

"How did people find out about me already?" Natalie asked, surprised.

"Well, Peter told Cass last night, and word gets around quickly here," said the woman. "I know how you feel also—I was the new girl in town before you came along. My name's Joni by the way, Joni Mitchell."

"I'm Natalie, Natalie Marshall," said Natalie. "So nice to meet you, Joni."

"So, word is that you came here from London for a change of scenery?" said Joni.

"Yes ma'am," said Natalie. Yeah, a change from her crazy, separating family and her ass of an ex-boyfriend…that was for sure.

"I'm not from here either," said Joni. "I was born in Canada. I've been all over the states, actually, but I was last in Florida before David Crosby came and plucked me right out of there! He brought me here, and let me tell you, this is the best place for a musician to be right now. Are you a musician?"

"Sort of," said Natalie. "I do a little singing."

"That's cool," said Joni. She took a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and lit one up. "Why don't you grab the guitar and do something? I'd like to hear."

"Oh!" said Natalie, taken aback. "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt…" Joni gestured her over to the bench and handed her the guitar. "I guess I could play something by Judy Collins; she's my absolute favorite. Stephen—Stephen Stills, I'm sure you know…he lives with Peter and since Stephen and Judy are steady, I may actually get to meet her!"

"I love Judy, I've met her a couple times, she's great," said Joni. "I'm excited to hear."

"Okay," said Natalie. She thought for a moment, and remembered Judy's song "Both Sides Now." Just as good as any! As Natalie started the song, she saw a large smile grown on Joni's face as she took a drag from her cigarette. _Oh my, she actually likes it!_ Natalie thought as she continued to play and sing. She finished out the song and Joni applauded.

"That's a really good song," said Joni. "I loved it." But why that odd smile?

"Thank you," said Natalie. "I find that song very relatable, especially right now. I mean, as you grow and lose your innocence, you have to look at things from both sides, right? And you find things aren't as they seem." Of course, she as again thinking of why she came here, but Joni seemed to have another idea.

"Nothing really is as it seems," said Joni. "Hang on Natalie, I'll be right back." Joni went into her house with that same smile and came back a moment later with a copy of Judy Collins' album "Wildflowers," the same song "Both Sides Now" was on. "Would you like to see something?" asked Joni. Natalie nodded, wondering, and Joni flipped the album sleeve over to where the songs were listed. Joni pointed one long finger to "Both Sides Now" and…in tiny little letters, Natalie read something she found just amazing

"_Joni Mitchell." _

"You—you wrote it?" exclaimed Natalie in wonder.

"You bet I did," said Joni. "I'm so glad you like it. It is very relatable." Natalie beamed at the woman who wrote her favorite song, and, she hoped, her friend. "You sounded fantastic on it."

"Thank you, Joni," said Natalie. Maybe she'd find more comfort here than she thought.

_Back at Peter's and Stephen's:_

Stephen lay on his bed, staring right up at the ceiling. It really was a strange feeling he got when Natalie left with Peter. Of course, it shouldn't bother him at all, but what did he know? Peter was sure as hell dealing with his own troubles. Natalie was too, although he had not the slightest clue what they were…and boy was Stephen himself having his own issues. Judy…he never stopped telling himself that he loved her, but he also knew they were growing apart. They were seeing less and less of each other, and there was something more…

Unlike Peter, who always denied himself when he was falling for someone and often waited months before giving in, Stephen fell in love hard and fast. While his feelings for Judy were failing, others were growing. Natalie. Yes, Natalie, the girl who he had no clue was going through and thought he was a nut. The girl who he knew that Peter would soon fall for, even if it took him ages to admit it. It only made it worse that she was such a diehard Judy Collins fan, but Stephen didn't care. She was beautiful, sweet, and interesting.

But Judy…he couldn't bear to break her heart although his was already tied in knots. He knew it as too late to turn back from Natalie, no matter who she fell for and who would fall for her…Stephen sighed, muttered, "Fuck…" and put his hands over his face. All he could do was helplessly hope…


	4. Chapter 4

Natalie got back to Peter and Stephen's place a little while later after some more talking with Joni. She really liked her and everyone else she met, but she needed some time alone. Meeting too many new people could be a little overwhelming at times. She didn't know if Peter was back yet, but Stephen was probably still in. She slowly opened the door and walked inside. "Peter? Stephen?" she called. When there was no answer, Natalie shrugged and walked over into the living room.

Natalie heard something shift down the hall from Stephen's room; he must be home. She didn't want to disturb him in case he wanted to be alone, so she didn't bother going over there. It started to get pretty boring with Natalie just sitting there, twiddling her thumbs in the living room, so she got up to explore a little. She walked passed Peter's room and stopped. What could be in there? She didn't think Peter would mind terribly if she took a peek in…would he? Slowly, Natalie cracked the door to Peter's room open and walked inside.

It really was a little more plain inside than she thought it would be. There was a bed, a dresser, nightstand, a couple psychedelic lamps, a rug, and a beanbag chair at the foot of the bed. Natalie was expecting lots of psychedelic and groovy decorations and other things she hadn't a clue about. She closed the door behind her and went to lie down on the bed, which she quickly discovered was a waterbed. She bounced up and down on it for a while, amused, until she saw that one of the drawers in Peter's dresser was slightly open. Natalie frowned, wondering if it was right to peek…but Peter wasn't here…she may as well see what was inside.

Opening the drawer, Natalie found something she wasn't at all surprised to see—a bag of weed, a lighter, and a stack of rolling papers. She smiled and thought about it…should she? It would definitely make her feel better. After all, it seemed to be share and share like in this hippie neighborhood, so Peter wouldn't mind if Natalie took some of the grass. Shrugging, she reached into the drawer and started to roll up a joint.

Once it was just right, Natalie took the lighter out and lit up. She took a long, deep drag off of the joint and blew it out slowly, watching the smoke come out in swirls from her mouth. The taste filled her and she felt her world open up. The high didn't hit her after the first drag, but it was relaxing enough. She took some more hits and her head was swirling and spinning. She closed her eyes and felt a smile creep up on her face. Yes, it was definitely taking effect now.

Natalie laid back on the bed and felt the water in the mattress sloshed under her. It gave her a thrill and she nearly laughed aloud, but she didn't want to disturb Stephen, so she found a way to suppress the sound of her high-flying joy. Stephen…as soon as he entered her mind, she erupted in muffled giggles. He was so silly and cute! She could tell that he liked her, no matter how much he spoke about Judy…Natalie relaxed and thought about the first time she saw Stephen in the flesh, performing at the Monterey Pop Festival. That voice of his, so raw and untamed, yet smooth and gentle…just thinking about it made her tingle between her legs.

Natalie thought about the way Stephen caressed the neck of his guitar, and she felt herself getting even wetter. She slid her hand down to her crotch and felt the warm moister there through her jeans. Mmm how she wanted him there right now. She'd never had sex while high; it would probably be fantastic. But she couldn't bother him, not now. But oh, how she wanted him. Slowly, Natalie undid her pants and slid down with her soaked panties around her ankles. Smiling lazily, she put her hand to her crotch again and started to stroke, feeling out how wet she was. She slid a finger inside of her and arched her hips as she sighed with pleasure.

Still sliding one finger in and out of her, she reached down with her other hand to rub her clit. A shock of pleasure went through her body and she spasmed, making the water bed ripple underneath her again. All she could think of was the picture of Stephen above her, between her thighs, thrusting slow and gentle, paying attention to every portion of her body. She would love to be stoned out of her mind with him and make sweet, sweet love.

Natalie was overcome by her high, passion, and pleasure. She began to run faster and faster as she felt herself approaching to her orgasm. Her legs twitched and she began to moan sensually. Her breathing began rapid and raspy and her heart was racing. She let her mind wander and relax as she got further and further. "Mmm…Stephen…" she moaned. "Oh—Stephen!" She finally climaxed with Stephen on her mind, bucking her hips up and throwing her head back, bouncing on Peter's water bed. She kept one finger still inside of her as she reclined on the bed, enjoying the effect of her orgasm mingling with the grass she had smoked. It almost felt like a dream. Yep, she was going to do this pretty often. Not wanting Peter to catch her in his room with her pants down, even though she was high, Natalie pulled her pants up and stayed on the bed, feeling like the water was carrying her off on a current.

Outside Peter's room, before Natalie's big release, Stephen chose to leave his own room and walk around for a while. He walked by Peter's room and saw that the door was closed. He heard someone come through the door, but Peter would have knocked on his door and let him know he was back home. Natalie must have come back, but what would she be doing alone in Peter's room? Maybe she heard about the water bed or something. Stephen walked over to the door, raising his hand to knock on it so he could say "hi" to Natalie, but he heard a soft noise inside and stopped.

There were sighs, moans, and—Stephen couldn't believe it—a _very _sensual moan of "Oh—Stephen!" Stephen's stomach dropped and his face got hot and red. Was Natalie…masturbating to him? Could be it a different Stephen? Did she want him to come in? And why was she doing it in Peter's room? He listened in again and heard that the moaning had stopped; all he heard was breathing. Stephen breathed in himself and caught a strong wiff of pot. Was Natalie high too? The girl looked so sweet an innocent! She was only nineteen! Maybe things were worse for her than he thought.

Stephen, still in a bit of shock over what he had just been sort of witness to, went outside. Maybe he's find Peter and tell him what the hell had just gone on. Stephen knew how he felt about Natalie and in a different circumstance he would have been over the moon hearing a beautiful woman moan his name like that…but somehow with Natalie there was something wrong—or just strange.

Stephen knew where Peter may be as he walked along the street. Cass's house was always a good place to check for anybody, and if Peter was taking Natalie around the neighborhood, that was probably the place they went. Sure enough, when Stephen got to Cass's door, it was open and Peter and Cass were sitting on the couch, drinking coffee and chatting. "Hey, Peter," said Stephen, walking in. "Hey there Cass."

"Hey Stephen!" greeted Cass like the gracious hostess she was. "What brings you here?"

"Just…needed to talk to Peter," said Stephen, not knowing how he could put this.

"What's up man?" asked Peter, looking up at Stephen. Stephen looked a little nervous; Peter wondered what could be wrong.

"Man, it's Natalie," said Stephen.

"Is she okay?" asked Peter sharply, sitting up.

"Yeah, she's fine…boy, is she fine…" said Stephen, sighing. "So, I guess she got bored and went back to the house, cause I was walking around inside and I heard her in your room…I think she was smoking the grass that was in your drawer…and she—she was—"

"What was she doing man, spit it out!" said Peter, getting impatient while Cass was looking on, thoroughly amused.

"Man, she was gettin' off, rubbing one out!" Stephen blurted out.

Peter sighed and rolled his eyes. "Stephen, is _that _what you ran over here to tell me?" he said, sounding like a mother scolding his child, and, Stephen noticed, much like Mike Nesmith's character on the TV show. "So what, I don't mind if Natalie smokes my stuff, and masturbating is the _last _thing I'd be concerned about! Unless you're telling me because you think it'll turn me on, but I doubt you are." Peter had to admit he wished he'd been there to at least hear it, but this was Natalie, his good, fragile friend. He had to push the idea out of his head.

"But Peter—" said Stephen. "She was…oh man this is nuts…I heard her say my name!"

Cass's jaw dropped and Peter's eyes got wide. "Well now!" said Cass. "Looks like you've got yourself an admirer, Stephen!"

"Wow man…" said Peter. "Well, maybe it was the grass, she could have just gotten _really _turned on or something." Yep, Peter was jealous again, but he couldn't imagine why.

"I dunno, but it kinda freaked me out…" said Stephen. "Like not in a bad way—just—I wasn't expecting it. Dunno why I'm telling you, to tell you the truth, Peter."

"Maybe you felt like bragging?" asked Peter while Cass was still laughing into her hand.

"Man, I dunno," said Stephen, going red again, putting his hand to his face. "Maybe we should get back to the house though, just in case Natalie does anything crazier."

"Do you think she will?" asked Cass.

"She can be…a little unpredictable," said Peter, of course remembering all of the spats between her and Mike when the two had first met. He never really knew what Natalie would do next. "Good idea Stephen, she's high anyway; we shouldn't leave her alone. It was kind of dumb of you to leave in the first place."

"I told you man, I freaked out!" said Stephen.

Cass laughed. "Why don't you boys leave and see what your chick is up to," she said. "You don't want her humping everything in the house!"

Stephen turned an even deeper red and Peter just laughed. "Oh please, Cass," said Peter, shaking his head. "She'll be fine, we'll make sure to it. Come on Stephen, let's go." Peter got up off the couch and started to walk out with Stephen. "See ya Cass," said Peter.

"Bye, Cass," said Stephen, a little more bashfully.

"Bye, boys!" said Cass. "Good luck with the girl!"

"Oh boy, thanks!" said Peter. He and Stephen were out of Cass's house and now on their way back to their own house. "I hope she didn't notice you left," said Peter.

"I hope so too," said Stephen. The two got back to their house and went inside. Sure enough, Peter's door was still closed and Natalie was nowhere to be found.

"Let's just leave her be," said Peter, stopping Stephen, who was about to open the closed door. "I'm sure she's fine; she'll come out when she's ready."

"I just don't want her to hurt herself," said Stephen.

"Don't worry," said Peter. "Look…just…just leave all the worrying to me, she's my friend and my burden to bear—not that she's a burden—but you know. You're an innocent bystander, or something."

"Man, I'd feel bad if I didn't care a bit," said Stephen. Of course, unbeknownst to Peter, Stephen did care an awful lot more than he had planned on.

"You can get so sentimental sometimes, Steve," said Peter, shaking his head, looking as zen as ever. At that moment, the door to Peter's room opened and out drifted Natalie, still very high and looking twice as "zen" as Peter. She looked at the two men and a lazy smile etched across her face.

"Oh…hi boys," Natalie greeted slowly. Her gaze turned to Stephen. "Hey Stephen." Her grin turned wry, almost seductive, and she winked one bloodshot blue eye. Stephen's breath caught in his throat, and Peter pat him on the back to get him to breathe again.

"How you feeling, Natalie?" asked Peter, trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness.

"Just great man…great…" said Natalie. She sat down on the couch rather gracefully and looked up at Peter and Stephen. "Why don't you two sit down? You both look _so _tense…"

"Oh, I'm fine," said Peter, amused, sitting down on the couch next to her. "I think Stephen may be a little tense though."

Stephen gave Peter a dirty look and walked into the kitchen to scrub the dishes left over in the sink. "What's wrong with him?" Natalie asked.

"No one really knows," said Peter.

"Pete man, will you shut up?" Stephen snapped from the kitchen. He tried to scrub the dishes he but was shaking so much with embarrassment that he could barely get a grip on the plates.

"Oh, Stephen, _relax_!" said Natalie breezily. "I'm sure I can get you to calm down a bit."

Stephen burned red again, coughed nervously, and a plate slipped from his grip and shattered on the floor. "Aw, dammit!" he exclaimed.

"Stephen, you okay?" asked Peter. He nodded to Natalie really quick and rushed over to Stephen, who was nursing a cut on his hand and trying to sweep up the broken dish with a dustpan. "Here man, let me get that," said Peter, taking the dustpan from Stephen.

"I can't take it anymore," said Stephen, washing his cut in the sink. He flinched a little at the pain of the water on the open wound. "I know she's troubled and everything but I tell you what, I'd have her _right now _if she wasn't your friend Pete."

"Just control yourself," said Peter, throwing the shards of glass into the trash can. "Yeah, she's a groovy chick, pretty attractive…but you can't confuse stoned fantasizing for feelings, ya dig?"

"I dig," said Stephen. "But I wasn't mistaking anything for feelings." Of course, he had his own feelings and he could only wish for Natalie to be able to return them, but she probably had other intentions for Stephen. "I just know now that deep down, she wants to fuck me."

Peter laughed, feeling a sting nevertheless. "Man, she was high as a kite, calm down," said Peter. "I've had high lust too—sometimes it's just not real." Why was he trying to dampen Stephen's spirits? Of course, Natalie was his good friend; he probably didn't like hearing Stephen talk about her that way.

"Whatever you say man, but grass brings out the real person, every time," said Stephen.

"Do you want to fuck Natalie?" asked Peter out of the blue, feeling a shock through him. Stephen looked into his friend's honey colored eyes and saw a spark; it frightened him a bit.

"Dude, I told you," said Stephen. "If you weren't such good friends, I would, but I respect that…well…you know."

"Know what?" pried Peter, crossing his arms. "You may need a bandage for that, by the way."

"For wha—" Stephen started, and he looked down and saw his hand still dripping blood; the pain came back. "Aw, shit," said Stephen, and he rummaged in the medicine cabinet for a bandage. He wrapped it around his hand silently, kicking himself for ever telling Peter what happened.

"So?" asked Peter. "If Natalie threw herself at you _right now, _would you do it?"

"Man, let's just stop talking about this, I feel bad enough already," said Stephen. "Let's get out there to her and make sure she's okay."

"Fair enough," said Peter. The two walked back into the living room to find Natalie still sitting on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. She heard them come in and turned her big blue eyes to them.

"Stephen…man…you're bleeding!" said Natalie.

"Oh—uh—yeah, I cut myself on a plate," said Stephen.

"Oh, that's a shame," said Natalie. "How will you use your hand?" She had a wry smile that made Peter bite his lip and look away and Stephen catch his breath in his throat. His pants were starting to feel _very _tight; he sat down on the chair next to the couch and crossed his legs, hoping that no one would see his growing erection.

"It'll heal," said Peter, replying for a lost-for-words Stephen. "I think I'm gonna make you some coffee, Natalie."

"Coffee?" asked Natalie. "Peter man, I think you're _obsessed _with coffee!"

"You need it," said Peter. "I'll be right back." Peter went to the kitchen to start brewing some coffee. He felt bad leaving Stephen out there all alone with the high and horny Natalie, but what harm could she do now? It was just silly and harmless. He started up the coffee and periodically peeked out to the living room to check on Stephen and Natalie. Nothing was really happening; just Natalie looking completely out of it and Stephen looking embarrassed and trying not to be aroused. Peter shrugged and went back to the coffee. He needed to keep a closer eye on Natalie from now on.

He brought the coffee out to Natalie, who took it and sipped it. "Thank you, Peter," she said spacily. "This is some pretty groovy coffee."

"Thanks," said Peter. "Glad you like it. Drink up, you'll feel better."

"Oh, but I already feel _great!" _said Natalie broadly. She turned to Stephen again, who was blushing more furiously than ever. "You know Stephen…you're kinda cute," said Natalie with a goofy giggle.

"Yeah, so are you," said Stephen bashfully. But would he still be cute when Natalie got off her high? He could only hope. Meanwhile, Peter was sitting on the couch next to Natalie, watching her sip her coffee. That silly little girl, he thought. Stephen was right to have these feelings for her. But then why did Peter feel so put off by it? Women were full of mysteries, that was for sure.


End file.
